We have previously developed a handheld ultrasound indentation instrument for the diagnosis of cartilage degeneration. The instrument has been demonstrated to be capable of quantifying mechanical and acoustic properties of enzymatically degraded and normal bovine articular cartilage in vitro and in situ. The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity of the instrument to distinguish between normal and spontaneously degenerated (e.g., in osteoarthrosis) articular cartilage in vitro.
Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital and University of Kuopio, POB 1777, 70211 Kuopio, Finland. saarakka@hytti.uku.fi
